Forest Conservation Project in Brazil Home to Extraordinary Wildlife

Written by
Brian

This is the second in a monthly blog series about our forest conservation projects in Brazil. This month's blog highlights the extraordinary wildlife present at the Purus Project. We write about some of these amazing animals but hope you will take a few minutes to enjoy the photos!

The Southwestern Amazon, specifically along the Purus River in the State of Acre, Brazil, is home to our Purus Project. This forest conservation project covers approximately 85,714 acres and achieved validation and verification to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and to the Gold Level of the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) for the Project's exceptional biodiversity benefits.

The Purus Project is located within one of the World Wildlife Fund's ecoregions, which represent "the most distinctive examples of biodiversity for a given major habitat type." The Project achieved exceptional biodiversity benefits because during a rapid biodiversity assessment from August to September 2009, at least two endangered species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List were identified at the Purus Project. These endangered flora species are Car-cara (scientific name is Aniba rosaeodora) and Baboonwood (scientific name is Virola surinamensis).

Anecdotal observations of biodiversity on or next to the Purus Project include:

Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)

Amazon River Dolphins (Inia geoffrensis)

Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus L.)

Great White Herons (Ardea alba)

Local Fauna at Purus Project in August 2011 (Photo Credit: Brian McFarland)

One of the ways the Purus Project monitors biodiversity is by using motion-sensitive cameras to photograph medium-to-large mammals. The motion-sensitive cameras took pictures of a short-eared dog and a jaguar, both considered near threatened by the IUCN Red List. Also captured by the motion-sensitive cameras, are photos of a giant anteater and a lowland tapir, which are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Other wildlife photographed include a puma, otherwise known as a mountain lion, along with an ocelot. Furthermore, the photograph of the short-eared dog is only the second photograph ever taken of a short-eared dog in the State of Acre!

Ocelot Photographed at Purus Project

Short-Eared Dog Photographed at Purus Project

Puma Photographed at Purus Project

Giant Anteater Photographed at Purus Project

Lowland Tapir Photographed at Purus Project

We hope exploring the Purus Project's extraordinary biodiversity has whetted your appetite for more information about our forest conservation projects in Brazil.Next month we are featuring a post about how the Russas and Valparaiso Projects are benefitting local communities.